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thedrifter
03-04-09, 07:54 AM
Deena Winter: Family asks to rename street for son killed in Iraq

Wednesday, Mar 04, 2009 - 12:10:49 am CST
Next week the City Council will vote on whether to rename a street after a Lincoln soldier who was killed in Iraq.

Debbie and Jack Chandler have asked that West Stanton Street, west of Northwest 48th Street, be renamed “Mike Scholl Street” as a memorial to their son, Lt. Corp. Michael Scholl, who was killed in action on Nov. 14, 2006.

Scholl attended Arnold Elementary School, Dawes Middle School and Lincoln High — and his parents requested the street name change in the area where he grew up and started school.

Family members testifying in support of the request Monday talked about how Scholl was denied entry into the Marines more than once, due to a kidney condition that nearly killed him when he was 2 years old.

They talked about how he “cried and cried” before leaving his pregnant wife — and the child he never saw. About how his friend drowned in a river in Afghanistan and he was disciplined for losing his pistol — and how that inspired him to become a strong leader who was credited with saving the lives of many of his comrades.

2 council members say ‘no’ to annual health luncheon

Two council members said no Monday to what would normally be a routine approval of a purchase order related to an annual health department ceremony.

The $3,000 purchase order was for catering for the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department’s annual meeting and awards ceremony on April 17.

And while Health Department Director Bruce Dart explained to the council earlier Monday that state law requires the department to have an annual meeting and that ticket sales offset the cost, two council members voted against the request: Dan Marvin and Doug Emery.

Marvin said the law may require an annual meeting — but he doubts it has to be catered — particularly during a recession when companies are being criticized for paying for golf outings. Emery said it wasn’t clear to him whether the cost of the luncheon would be totally recouped by ticket sales, so he voted against it because of the tight budget.

“I don’t know that we ought to be the people spending money on a luncheon,” he said.

The rest of the council approved the purchase.

More foreclosures equal more weeds

Sometimes a recession can have strange side effects.

The county weed superintendent told city and county officials Tuesday his office has nearly doubled the number of forced “abatements,” or cuttings on property where the owner fails to mow the grass or cut down weeds.

Russell Shultz, superintendent of the Weed Control Authority, said the number of forced cuttings grew from 115 in 2007 to 210 in 2008.

“I think a lot of that had to do with foreclosures,” he said.

Presumably, that would be due to the lag before the bank takes control of a foreclosed home — when nobody’s mowing the lawn.

The increase has caused a budget shortage for Shultz.

Weed superintendent: City needs to abide by weed laws

During the weed superintendent’s annual weed report to the city and county Tuesday, he asked that something be done about overgrown vegetation on city-owned property.

He mentioned two dozen city properties with overgrown vegetation, and said the response from the city is often that they’re letting it grow due to budget constraints.

“It’s hard for me to look the other way just because it’s city property,” Shultz said, as the mayor looked on. “It puts me in a bad position.”

He suggested he might be able to better handle complaints if there were some criteria for making exceptions to the ordinance limiting the height of weeds and grass to 6 inches — such as distance from residences and whether there are noxious weeds.

Mayor Chris Beutler seemed a bit annoyed by the topic, saying he could direct departments to work with Shultz on criteria if City Council and County Board members think it’s “high enough on the radar.”

CNBC cancels interview

The mayor’s interview with CNBC was canceled last Friday. Apparently another economic story diverted the attention of CNBC’s Aaron Burnett and Mark Haines.

He said it

“I don’t want our friends to the north to grab the (stimulus money) because they’re smarter and faster than us slowpokes down here.” — Councilman Dan Marvin, urging city officials to make sure they’re exploring possible economic development money from the federal stimulus package.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.

Ellie